TORONTO, June 1, 2004 – The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) today announced that it has been selected for two major awards by the Building Owners, Managers Association (BOMA) at its recent annual awards dinner, held in Toronto on April 14, 2004.
The MTCC won in two key categories, a Certificate of Building and Management Excellence in the Public Assembly Building category, as well as the coveted Building of the Year award in the same category. This is the second time the MTCC has won the Certificate of Excellence, which it previously took home in 2001. Being honoured by the industry with the Building of the Year award, however, was a very exciting first for the MTCC and its staff. “We really pride ourselves on running the building as best-of-class,” said Vince Quattrociocchi, MTCC’s Vice President, Operations. “Submitting to this rigorous judgement process by a committee of seasoned peer professionals is an opportunity to really put our approach to the test.
“We’re absolutely thrilled about winning in both award categories. When you’re recognized by the whole industry this way, it’s the best satisfaction you can get,” Quattrociocchi explained. BOMA is widely recognized and respected in the facility management industry worldwide, he added.
Competition is keen among Canada’s major facilities and their managers each year for this industry recognition. Award recipients must demonstrate excellence in multiple criteria fields: building management, customer satisfaction, energy conservation and being environmentally conscious, building accessibility, emergency preparedness, and employee training. The MTCC and its management scored highly in each of these categories in order to win.
Submissions are reviewed and judged by an independent panel of retired industry professionals who are BOMA members. The judging includes a thorough inspection of each nominee’s physical site as well as interviews with key facility management staff. The judges rate each facility on a scale of 161 points in total. The BOMA awards program is now in its 6th year.
BOMA is considered one of the world’s foremost trade associations in the facility management industry. Its members are commercial real estate professionals such as owners and managers of large buildings and facilities, leasing professionals, and corporate facility managers. Collectively, BOMA members own or manage more than nine billion square feet of office space, which represents more than 80% of the prime office space in North America. In Canada, BOMA has more than 2,000 members.
The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is the largest and most celebrated trade and convention facility in Canada and one of the finest in North America. With more than 2 million square feet of state-of-the-art space, it is considered a world-class, tier-one facility. The MTCC has welcomed more than 25 million visitors since its opening in 1984. The Centre hosts more than 700 events annually, ranging in size from large international conventions to small local corporate meetings, for groups of 40 to 40,000. Premier events held at the MTCC include: Canadian International Auto Show, Canada Blooms, Construct Canada and Fashion Cares. More than 70% of clients return to the MTCC every year, and client satisfaction surveys show the Centre “wowed”, “exceeded” or “met” expectations 96% of the time, which the MTCC views as a proud testament to the quality of its space and the service it offers.
For Further Information Please Contact:
Heather Evans
Marketing Manager
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
(416) 585-8126
hevans@mtccc.com
Vince Quattrociocchi,
Vice President, Operations
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
(416) 585-8238
BACKGROUND ON THE METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE (MTCC)
The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is considered the best-equipped, most up-to-date, most centrally located and most attractive convention centre available in Canada today.
Among the MTCC’s key features for meeting planners and organizers are:
- more than 2 million square feet of total space;
- 460,000 square feet of flexible state-of-the-art exhibit space;
- 64 carpeted meeting rooms covering 104,000 square feet, designed to handle meetings and breakout groups as small as 40 to as large as 40,000 people;
- two multi-purpose ballrooms, encompassing 78,000 square feet, for special events;
- 1,330-seat multi-purpose theatre featuring superior quality seating and acoustics, the only banked auditorium in a convention centre in Canada;
- 56,500 square feet of entrance and registration space; and,
- 167,000 square feet of carpeted pre-function space
- parking spaces for 1,700 cars, located in an easily accessible, brightly lit and security patrolled indoor parking garage that is open 24/7
- convenient, weather-protected access to public transit
The MTCC is located in the heart of downtown Toronto’s vibrant business, financial, fashion and entertainment district, just 20 minutes from Toronto’s Lester B. Pearson International Airport. There are more than 13,000 affordable and high quality hotel rooms and more than 17,000 additional parking spaces nearby.
The facility is surrounded by Toronto's prominent sports arenas including the Air Canada Centre and the SkyDome, and nearby attractions include the CN Tower, the Hockey Hall of Fame. Convention attendees also have access to more than 7,000 fine restaurants, the world’s thirdlargest live theatre and performing arts community, multiple major league sports teams, plus more than 9 million square feet of retail shops in the downtown area of the city.
Toronto is now the top convention city in North America and ranks as one of the world’s destinations for such groups.
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